26 killed in 200 plus vehicle accidents on Day 1 of Songkran’s ‘7 Deadly Days’

On Monday — the first day of the “Seven Deadly Days of the Songkran” — there were 237 vehicle accidents, killing 26 people and injuring 238 others. Speeding is the biggest problem so far.

Thailand’s road-safety campaign spans the week of the Thai New Year, from April 11 to 17, during which vehicle accidents are notoriously common. The government has reportedly deployed some 56,000 officers to around 2,000 road safety checkpoints throughout the country for Songkran holiday.

As grim as the figures may be, the number of deaths and injuries on Day 1 has actually decreased by nearly 40%, compared to the average statistics for the start of Songkran week from the past the years. That’s according to the director-general of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, Boontham Lertsukheekasem. He reported that speeding was the most common cause of accidents, accounting…